Amazin’

Don’t really know what else to say about the Rockies’ victory over the Padres in the tiebreaker to determine the National League wild-card winner. Well, other than, “wow,” “amazing,” “unbelievable,” “holy toledo,” etc. Simply put, one of the great games of all time. Put it right up there next to Game 7 of the 1991 World Series (the Jack Morris game), Game 6 of the 1975 Series (the Carlton Fisk game) and the 1978 AL East tiebreaker (the Bucky Dent game).

Matt Holliday may well have won an MVP award last night. Good thing he knocked himself silly diving into home plate for the winning run; otherwise, he may have realized he never touched home plate and made a mad scramble to tag it. That, in turn, would’ve let home-plate umpire Tim McClelland know the same thing. As it was, Holliday missed the plate, McClelland missed the call, and everybody in Colorado went home happy.

I’ve mentioned a lot in the past couple of days that baseball is unfair, and the failure of Trevor Hoffman is the latest example. Hoffman is class personified and an easy Hall of Famer. But not sure if any other closer has faced the burden he now carries. Hoffman blew two successive saves that would’ve gotten his team to the playoffs. Dennis Eckersley melted down twice for the A’s in the playoffs, but not in succession. Donnie Moore gave up a pennant-killing home run for the Angels, but that was just one home run. Listening to Hoffman afterward, you realized it’s going to be a brutal time for him.

So on to the playoffs. My picks? You get those tomorrow? For now, it’s time for baseball fans to bask in the glow of one of its great nights. Same for the fans. Let me know your thoughts.